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Clear16 is a 100% per cent black-owned beverage company whose aim is to contribute to local economic empowerment in addition to "making drinking water cool”.
Founded by WSU alumnus Mncedi Qata in November 2020, the company specialising in prepared still and sparkling water is based in Johannesburg and currently supplies its products to the Gauteng and Eastern Cape provinces.
Clear16’s primary aim is to promote drinking clean water for health reasons, contribute to the entire value chain and create employment opportunity.
"Most bottled water companies just offer water in the most basic form, Clear16 is all about attention to detail. The quality of our water perfectly complements our packaging. We offer premium water as nature intended it to be," said Qata.
Qata's passion for clean drinking water stemmed from a very young age. Growing up in a water-scarce township where taps were always dry, the community’s main water supply came from a reservoir exposed to all sorts of harmful bacteria.
This is where Qata was first introduced to the conventional ways of purifying drinking water and from that point on, he made it his life mission to one day produce drinking water of the highest quality.
"I have always been passionate about producing clean quality drinking water. The 2020 economic situation presented me with an opportunity to finally do what I have always wanted to do," said Qata.
He added, "The covid 19 situation created a gap in the market for 'essential goods' and water falls in that category."
“Our long-term goal is to manufacture our own bottles and caps and participate in the distribution of our products to different parts of the country. This will help greatly in the creation of more sustainable employment opportunities.”
- Ongezwa Sigodi
